Red Cross launches aid appeal for Asia

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The global Red Cross issued an emergency appeal on Sunday for
immediate aid to hundreds of thousands of people stricken by the
tsunami in South-East Asia.

The Geneva-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies said Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and
Thailand were among the countries for which aid was earmarked.

It said it was seeking an initial and immediate 7.5 million
Swiss francs ($8.5 million) and said about half a million people
were affected in Sri Lanka alone, but that reliable information was
still very hard to come by across the region.

"This is a preliminary appeal. It will be revised after exact
needs are evaluated," said Simon Missiri, head of the federation's
Asia Pacific department.

Earlier, the federation released one million Swiss francs from
its disaster relief emergency fund to get assistance moving to the
region, where thousands have died in tsunamis which followed a
massive under-sea quake.

The federation said it would send medical supplies for 100,000
people in Sri Lanka - close to the epicentre of one of the
strongest quakes ever - on Monday from Copenhagen, including
special medication to treat diarrhoeal disease.

"The biggest health challenges we face is the spread of
waterborne diseases, particularly malaria and diarrhoea, as well as
respiratory tract infections," the federation's senior health
officer Hakan Sandbladh said in Geneva.

The organisation said it would be sending a field assessment and
coordination team to Sri Lanka within hours, and had on standby
several emergency response units specialised on water and
sanitation as well as field hospitals.

Sri Lanka appears to be the worst hit but aid officials said the
true scale of the disaster was yet to become clear.

"Death tolls are likely to increase over time. I'm sure the
numbers will go up," said Titon Mitra, emergency response director
for the CARE aid agency in Geneva.

"What we don't know is the number of people who've been
displaced, and what infrastructure has been affected. That's the
critical point."

"The three areas we'll be focusing on will be Sri Lanka,
Indonesia and the eastern coast of India," he said.

Water, sanitation, food, shelter and health would be the top
five areas to be addressed.

Wells would be affected and drinking water could be contaminated
with sea water or overflowing sewage, he said.

The United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs said in a statement in Geneva it was making an emergency
cash grant available to Sri Lanka for relief work and was sending a
needs evaluation team to the island on Sunday.

The office said it would be deciding on help for other affected
countries as more detailed information became available. It also
offered to act as a channel for cash contribution for immediate
assistance.